Denver talk radio has provided plenty of hot air in the Sheriff Sullivan story. While “Troubleshooter” Tom Martino has cast himself as leading the investigation, chiding police for treating the sheriff as a crony, it took KCNC’s Brian Maass to set the record straight.

Maass this week demonstrated that the cops were not covering up, protecting one of their own or otherwise giving preferential treatment to former Arapahoe County Sheriff Pat Sullivan. In fact, Maass reported, the police were on the case and were keen to arrest Sullivan a year ago. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Jacki Kelley detailed for Maass the beginnings of the investigation.

Sullivan, a one-time trusted authority figure for whom a jail was named, has been all over the tube in orange jumpsuit and shackles after being arrested last week, accused of trying to trade methamphetamine for sex with a young man.

Maass’ CBS4 story shows that police drug task force, was not standing idly by letting Sullivan get away with anything, but were on him a year ago, as soon as they had solid leads. Even though they couldn’t nail him, it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

The Maass story (which aired Monday and Tuesday) revealed that despite certain media members crowing about how they exposed this story, the cops were way ahead of them.

“It clearly shows that law enforcement was onto Pat Sullivan nearly a year ago, long before any talk show hosts or reporters of any ilk brought anything to their attention, which occurred in the last few weeks,” Maass said.

Maass expects to further demonstrate this aspect of the story on Thursday’s newscast.

Joanne Ostrow has been watching TV since before "reality" required quotation marks. "Hill Street Blues" was life-changing. If Dickens, Twain or Agatha Christie were alive today, they'd be writing for television. And proud of it.